BORIS YELTSIN urged Russian voters not to allow their “grievances and tiredness” to sway the vote. But what if Boris himself is too tired? It may only be a sore throat, but Yeltsin’s backers must be on their knees and praying hard.
They are faced with an unpalatable scenario. What happens if Yeltsin’s sore throat turns out to be much worse than just a nasty tickle.
Constitutionally, we are assured, the prime minister would take over if the president were unable to fulfil his duties, whether next week or next year. That unfortunately does not reckon with the reality of Yeltsin’s hasty political horse-trading after his narrow first-round victory. This has elevated ex- general Alexander Lebed to a position which, in the bad old days, would have been regarded as that of “chosen successor”.
Lebed has already claimed that the post of vice- president should be created — no names, but only one strong candidate. Wielding his sword, he has swept off the scene various rivals in the president’s camp. His role as blunt military man, gruff voice and all, has attracted quite a lot of support outside Russia among those desperate to interpret what is happening — as long as Boris stays — in a favourable light. But Lebed’s latest pronouncements should really set our teeth on edge.
As the new secretary of the Security Council, Lebed defines his responsibilities with little trace of modesty. They appear to include a whole tranche of economic policies from food imports to privatisation. He has already upset Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin by predicting that there could be an economic crisis within the next few months. He has also backed away from clearly opposing the unpopular war in Chechnya.
But the most worrying salvo from Lebed’s loose cannon was his speech last week to an audience of “patriotic” organisations, in which he pointedly omitted to list Judaism as one of Russia’s traditional religions. When he was asked a question in a deferential manner, he accused the questioner of speaking “like a Jew”. This only underlines the general point which we made before the first round: Russian politics are far too murky for any building of fine free-market castles in the air.